The Patriots will be checking out a potential addition to their defense on Tuesday.
Ian Rapoport of NFL Media reports that defensive end Janarius Robinson will be working out for the team.
Robinson spent last season with the Chiefs, but he did not appear in any games after fracturing his foot in the offseason. Robinson was a Vikings fourth-round pick in 2021 and moved on to the Eagles in 2022, but spent most of both seasons on injured reserve.
Robinson did play in 16 games for the Raiders over the next two seasons. He had 13 tackles and 1.5 sacks in those appearances.
Since the inauguration of the 47th president, the NFL has been engaged in a delicate dance regarding its diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts. This week, one of the key aspects of the NFL’s efforts returns, with a twist.
As the league explained in March, the Accelerator program is back — and it’s open to everyone.
At the time, NFL senior V.P. and chief diversity and inclusion officer Jonathan Beane said that it’s “not us taking the direction of anyone on the outside” or a “reaction to D.C.”
The NFL canceled last year’s Accelerator program, prompting speculation that it was hoping to avoid scrutiny by the anti-DEI forces within the federal government.
According to Jeremy Fowler of ESPN, 34 coaches and executives are scheduled to participate. They include Chargers offensive coordinator (and former Dolphins head coach) Mike McDaniel and current (and former) Chiefs offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy.
Many of the other coaches on the list have had head-coaching interviews. Per Fowler, Rams offensive coordinator Nate Scheelhaase, Lions passing game coordinator (and former Giants interim head coach) Mike Kafka, Jaguars offensive coordinator Grant Udinski, Seahawks defensive coordinator Aden Durde, Falcons defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich, Vikings quarterbacks coach Josh McCown, and Broncos special teams coordinator Darren Rizzi appear on the roster.
The list of executives set for the 2026 Accelerator program includes Terrance Gray (Bills), Nolan Teasley (Seahawks), John McKay (Rams), R.J. Gillen (49ers), Chad Alexander (Chargers), Glenn Cook and Catherine Hickman (Browns), Brandon Brown (Giants), Josh Williams (49ers), James Liipfert (Texans), Mike Bradway (Chiefs), Lance Newmark (Commanders), and Mike Greenberg (Buccaneers).
Although the federal government has yet to scrutinize the Accelerator program, it has become one of the issues in Florida’s ongoing attack against the NFL’s diversity initiatives. In a May 1, 2026, letter to Florida attorney general James Uthmeier, NFL general counsel Ted Ullyot wrote this: "[T]he Accelerator program is open to all individuals, regardless of race or sex. It provides an opportunity for prospective candidates for front office positions to participate in networking events, interview training, and facilitated development sessions.”
The dramatic change in the demographics of the Accelerator program will only reinforce the perception that the NFL is trying to avoid a late-night social-media storm of criticism regarding its commitment to diversity (along with the new kickoff formation). Regardless, after last year’s conspicuous cancellation, the Accelerator program is back. And it’s giving plenty of names already in the pipeline for one of the biggest jobs (coach and General Manager) access to the key decision makers and extra help to eventually secure one of those positions.
Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes is “making progress” in his rehab from major knee surgery, coach Andy Reid said Thursday. Reid, though, made it clear that it’s still uncertain whether Mahomes will receive clearance to return for the season opener.
But Mahomes is back playing golf, and his left knee looked good on the social media video he posted of a tee shot during his 15 and the Mahomies Vegas Golf Classic on Friday.
That’s a good sign as he continues to work his way back.
Mahomes underwent surgery on Dec. 15, a day after he tore the ACL and LCL in his left knee.
The NFL scheduled the Chiefs in primetime windows despite the lack of a timetable for Mahomes’ return.
“The Chiefs are an incredible story,” NFL executive Hans Schroeder said Friday, via Josh Dubow of the Associated Press. “They’re one of the most popular teams in the league right now. They’ve been on an incredibly successful run for a number of years now, and have built a hugely popular fan base. We went into the year planning to play the Chiefs in the same number of windows. We didn’t know anything more than you did, but we’re certainly hoping Patrick would be back Week 1. . . . We felt really good about it and certainly feel better after seeing Andy’s comments this morning with how Patrick’s rehab’s going.”
The Chiefs didn’t make the playoffs in 2025, but the release of the schedule for the 2026 season showed that the NFL still sees them as a marquee attraction.
Kansas City is scheduled for six primetime games and two of them come in the first two weeks of the season. They’ll be home against the Broncos on Monday night in Week 1 and back at Arrowhead Stadium to face the Colts on Sunday night in Week 2.
The scheduling suggests that the league believes Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes will be playing after recovering from last season’s torn ACL, but their head coach Andy Reid said on NFL Network Thursday that the team did not speak to the league about Mahomes’s health as part of the scheduling process. Reid did give another positive update on how things are going, however.
“He’s doing great right now and that’s kinda how you gotta go about this,” Reid said. “People go ‘well, he’s ahead of schedule.’ Who made the schedule? Everybody’s different, let’s just take it day by day. Nobody is spending more time than he is rehabbing, he spends seven hours here going through it. He hasn’t missed a day and he wants more, all the things that are Patrick Mahomes. Let’s see where we are at as we go forward as we get a little bit closer to the game.”
Broncos quarterback Bo Nix is coming off of a broken ankle and Reid joked that the league might have scheduled that as the opener as “motivation” for the two quarterbacks as they rehab, but said the scheduled won’t determine any of the team’s plans.
“He’s making progress, but you don’t know,” Reid said. “That’s the reality of it. You’re not going to put the player in a position where he can’t tend to himself on the football field.”
The league will continue to pay close attention to that progress in hopes of welcoming Mahomes back to the field on a grand stage.
The NFL did the Chiefs a favor, giving them an early off week as Patrick Mahomes works his way back.
The Chiefs and Panthers have the earliest possible bye, getting an off week in Week 5.
The Chiefs quarterback tore the ACL and LCL in his left knee in a Dec. 14 game against the Chargers and underwent surgery the following day. There is no timeline for his return, although Mahomes reportedly is ahead of schedule in his rehab and is shooting for Week 1.
If he’s not ready, Mahomes would miss only four games in six weeks. Those four games are the Broncos, Colts, Dolphins and Raiders, so the start to the season is not nearly as hard as it could have been.
The Cowboys and Cardinals have the latest possible off week, with their bye coming in Week 14.
Here are the other bye weeks:
Week 6 — Bengals, Lions, Dolphins, Vikings.
Week 7 — Bills, Jaguars, Chargers, Commanders.
Week 8 — Giants, Texans, Saints, 49ers.
Week 9 — Steelers, Titans.
Week 10 — Bears, Broncos, Eagles, Bucs.
Week 11 — Seahawks, Rams, Falcons, Patriots, Browns, Packers.
Week 13 — Ravens, Jets, Colts, Raiders.
